Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Growing a Spine Damnit!
A good friend and I were talking recently about letting bad behaviors slide for too long and letting kids get away with stuff. I had a little epiphany this weekend as I watched myself, once again, fall all over myself to make sure nothing was an inconvenience to Weston. Whatever he asks me to do, I do with a smile. Make his meals, run forgotten items to school during my work day, do his laundry, drive him to the mall, give him more spending money that I require for myself for snacks, clothes, etc. If I was somebody else, I'd give myself NO respect for this behavior. In return he leaves jobs undone or done sloppily around the house, rarely thanks anyone for favors, and gets on my case for not taking care of things that should be his responsibility. Charming, right? He'll make somebody a lovely husband some day at this rate. So tonight he came into the house, asking what was for dinner, and rummaging around for snacks to spoil his appetite. I told him if he wanted me to get dinner right then and there he needed to help me clean the kitchen, so he turned on his heel and said, "No thanks, I'll wait.", and headed off to skate. That's when I told him that if he didn't clean the entire kitchen, then and there, not only would I not make dinner for him AT ALL, but that he'd be grounded. For a week. So my kitchen is clean now and I just realized that I have this strange bumpy thing that runs down the middle of my back.
Congratulations!
It cannot go without comment that three of my favorite bloggers, Heather Armstrong, Alice Bradley, and the now not-so-nameless Laid Off Dad, have gotten together with a few other folks to produce this new book. So congratulations all of you, and thanks Heather for recognizing just how great these people are and including their writing.
It has been a strange, Through the Looking Glass kind of day on the Blogosphere with finslippy announcing her miscarriage, and Laid Off Dad telling us he and his wife are divorcing. I was taken aback by both revelations because the lyrical and sometimes very personal descriptions of family life that both blogs (and dooce.com also) provide sometimes mimics a close friendship. Though it's not face-to-face, I interact with them on an almost daily basis, and on a pretty personal level. I guess along with congratulations, that makes me want to send along a "hang in there." So.... hang in there.
It has been a strange, Through the Looking Glass kind of day on the Blogosphere with finslippy announcing her miscarriage, and Laid Off Dad telling us he and his wife are divorcing. I was taken aback by both revelations because the lyrical and sometimes very personal descriptions of family life that both blogs (and dooce.com also) provide sometimes mimics a close friendship. Though it's not face-to-face, I interact with them on an almost daily basis, and on a pretty personal level. I guess along with congratulations, that makes me want to send along a "hang in there." So.... hang in there.
Monday, April 21, 2008
My Last Lecture
I just finished reading Randy Pauch's The Last Lecture. I my opinion, this is 2008's The Life of Pi or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. I got to thinking, what pearls of wisdom might my kids pass on that they have learned from me? The following is my crack at a list:
1. You can never be kind and polite to too many people. Even if you don't like somebody or if they are mean to you, simply remaining kind and polite in all your interactions will mitigate all sorts of problems.
2. Get the stuff that makes up your daily work load done first. With no work to worry about you'll enjoy the rest of your day so much more.
3. You can learn something from everyone. No matter how young, how inexperienced, or uneducated, everyone has a different perspective from yours. Listen and watch, and you'll probably figure out something you didn't know before.
4. Family should always be your number one priority. Your friends come and go, often as a function of how convenient it is to interact with them on a frequent basis. If you are lucky, your family was with you when you were born, and will be with you at the end of your life.
5. Never value objects over people. If something gets wrecked or lost, you can almost always replace or fix it. Getting angry at someone for accidentally damaging or losing something can never be undone. Your finest moments are when you rise above worrying about objects and realize value of the people in your life.
6. Take time to stop and do what you love. At the end of your life, chances are pretty good you won't wish you had spent more time at work, doing laundry, or doing your taxes.
7. Dogs and children can be very frustrating. Try very very hard to not fly off the handle at them because the guilt that follows those kinds of acts will eat you alive.
8. Don't stand aside and let someone bully or tease and friend or family member. Meanness should be faced off and dealt with.
9. Don't play practical jokes on people or poke fun at people and then make them feel badly for not taking it well. You are being a jerk. Stop, apologize, and don't do it again.
10. And speaking of apologies, keep them sincere, never make excuses for your self, own your screw up, and.... don't do it again.
11. Be considerate of the people you live with. Just because they are family doesn't mean you should treat them with less consideration than the people you work or go to school with. If you wouldn't do it to your co-workers or fellow students or even a stranger, think hard about if you should do it at home.
12. How you perceive other people reveals flaws about your personality. If you don't trust people, perhaps you need to become more trustworthy yourself. If you walk a mile out of your way to become offended by the smallest things, perhaps you are thinking offensive things about other people. Examine your responses to people and consider that maybe what bugs you most is that characteristic you most need to work on in yourself.
13. Be honest when it's truly important to do so. You never know when your integrity may be all you have to fall back on.
Funny, this was really easy. Once I started, the ideas just kept coming. Cheers and deepest respect and admiration to Randy Pausch with fervent hope that he gets the miracle that he so deserves.
1. You can never be kind and polite to too many people. Even if you don't like somebody or if they are mean to you, simply remaining kind and polite in all your interactions will mitigate all sorts of problems.
2. Get the stuff that makes up your daily work load done first. With no work to worry about you'll enjoy the rest of your day so much more.
3. You can learn something from everyone. No matter how young, how inexperienced, or uneducated, everyone has a different perspective from yours. Listen and watch, and you'll probably figure out something you didn't know before.
4. Family should always be your number one priority. Your friends come and go, often as a function of how convenient it is to interact with them on a frequent basis. If you are lucky, your family was with you when you were born, and will be with you at the end of your life.
5. Never value objects over people. If something gets wrecked or lost, you can almost always replace or fix it. Getting angry at someone for accidentally damaging or losing something can never be undone. Your finest moments are when you rise above worrying about objects and realize value of the people in your life.
6. Take time to stop and do what you love. At the end of your life, chances are pretty good you won't wish you had spent more time at work, doing laundry, or doing your taxes.
7. Dogs and children can be very frustrating. Try very very hard to not fly off the handle at them because the guilt that follows those kinds of acts will eat you alive.
8. Don't stand aside and let someone bully or tease and friend or family member. Meanness should be faced off and dealt with.
9. Don't play practical jokes on people or poke fun at people and then make them feel badly for not taking it well. You are being a jerk. Stop, apologize, and don't do it again.
10. And speaking of apologies, keep them sincere, never make excuses for your self, own your screw up, and.... don't do it again.
11. Be considerate of the people you live with. Just because they are family doesn't mean you should treat them with less consideration than the people you work or go to school with. If you wouldn't do it to your co-workers or fellow students or even a stranger, think hard about if you should do it at home.
12. How you perceive other people reveals flaws about your personality. If you don't trust people, perhaps you need to become more trustworthy yourself. If you walk a mile out of your way to become offended by the smallest things, perhaps you are thinking offensive things about other people. Examine your responses to people and consider that maybe what bugs you most is that characteristic you most need to work on in yourself.
13. Be honest when it's truly important to do so. You never know when your integrity may be all you have to fall back on.
Funny, this was really easy. Once I started, the ideas just kept coming. Cheers and deepest respect and admiration to Randy Pausch with fervent hope that he gets the miracle that he so deserves.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
How to Be a Hero
At 12, Weston is allowed more freedom to roam, as long as he's no more than a cell phone call away. Last weekend he used that freedom to ride to 7-11 with the three boys that live across the street (12-year-old identical twins, and their very jaded 15-year-old brother). About half an hour after they left, I got a call from Weston. "Mom. We found a bird that fell out of it's nest. I think it's a mockingbird." I explained that it would be best for the chick if they just left it, and that the parents were probably nearby, feeding it. After doing my best to explain nestling/parent interactions, and with his impatient friends champing at the bit to leave, it became apparent that the bird was coming home with him in his baseball hat.
At home, all of the boys crowded around the box to which they had transferred the tiny bird. Shouldering my way in, I laughed in relief! A killdeer! This would be easy to reunite with it's parents. They had only managed to find it because it was hiding amongst some vinca, where it must have had only minimal camouflage. I packed four boys and a baby killdeer back in my car, and as we headed back to the church where they found the bird, they indignantly related that the minister had told them to leave it behind, that if the bird died, it was "Nature's way".
No parents could be heard or seen around where they found the baby, so undaunted, we headed a few hundred yards away to Ross Creek, a channelized stream with gravel levees. Sure enough, the anxious parents (and if you know killdeer, you know they do anxious really well) were there, flying in circles and calling. We set the box down, backed off and waited for the parents to get a bead on the location of their chick. After about 20 minutes, the trio was reunited. Who would have thought that something as small as a killdeer chick could get four gangling, world weary teens high-fiving and feeling like heroes?
At home, all of the boys crowded around the box to which they had transferred the tiny bird. Shouldering my way in, I laughed in relief! A killdeer! This would be easy to reunite with it's parents. They had only managed to find it because it was hiding amongst some vinca, where it must have had only minimal camouflage. I packed four boys and a baby killdeer back in my car, and as we headed back to the church where they found the bird, they indignantly related that the minister had told them to leave it behind, that if the bird died, it was "Nature's way".
No parents could be heard or seen around where they found the baby, so undaunted, we headed a few hundred yards away to Ross Creek, a channelized stream with gravel levees. Sure enough, the anxious parents (and if you know killdeer, you know they do anxious really well) were there, flying in circles and calling. We set the box down, backed off and waited for the parents to get a bead on the location of their chick. After about 20 minutes, the trio was reunited. Who would have thought that something as small as a killdeer chick could get four gangling, world weary teens high-fiving and feeling like heroes?
The Job Hunt
If it rains, apparently it does indeed pour. This time last month I was desperate for work. Any work. Certain I would never hang out my shingle as a biologist again, I was willing to consider becoming an administrative assistant again, just so I could feel like I was contributing to our finances, rather than being nothing but a drain. Now things have picked up (albeit only a little) at my current job, and the work spigot seems to be cranked to the open position. Spring is a great time to imitate the local flora a fauna and get busy being prolific!
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Things on My To-do List This Week
- Call Dr. Contini about heart palpitations (for Weston, who is 12). Thankfully they went away.
- Fire Garrett's pyschologist (No. Leaving his cookies at home next time is NOT an appropriate solution when my son has tackled and dog-piled the kid that stole them.)
- Pick up dog pooh in the back yard (Yes, two dogs DO generate twice as much!)
- Make an appointment to have my moles looked at (Every six months. Melanoma or not!)
- Call consulting firm to grovel for a job (Ugh! I hate being underemployed!)
- Call Weston's school to figure out why he's getting an F in Social Studies (maybe fix the palpitations while I'm at it?)
- Clean hardwood floor in kitchen (Two dogs means twice as many lick marks)
- Fire Garrett's pyschologist (No. Leaving his cookies at home next time is NOT an appropriate solution when my son has tackled and dog-piled the kid that stole them.)
- Pick up dog pooh in the back yard (Yes, two dogs DO generate twice as much!)
- Make an appointment to have my moles looked at (Every six months. Melanoma or not!)
- Call consulting firm to grovel for a job (Ugh! I hate being underemployed!)
- Call Weston's school to figure out why he's getting an F in Social Studies (maybe fix the palpitations while I'm at it?)
- Clean hardwood floor in kitchen (Two dogs means twice as many lick marks)
Monday, April 07, 2008
Ten things you may not have known about me....
1) I have a morbid sense of curiosity. If I could read about forensic anthropology every day, I would be very happy.
2) I have named two hockey teams. Seven in Dog Beers. Pucker Up.
3) I am terrified of bees.
4) I secretly admire Dr. Laura.
5) When I get REALLY mad, I cry.
6) I hate to cry.
7) I am lazy. Very very very lazy.
8) I have a green belt in kung fu.
9) I can parallel park in the teensiest space.
10) I can back up a trailer without jackknifing it.
2) I have named two hockey teams. Seven in Dog Beers. Pucker Up.
3) I am terrified of bees.
4) I secretly admire Dr. Laura.
5) When I get REALLY mad, I cry.
6) I hate to cry.
7) I am lazy. Very very very lazy.
8) I have a green belt in kung fu.
9) I can parallel park in the teensiest space.
10) I can back up a trailer without jackknifing it.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Pulling Bo's Leg
The first night we had Luke I lay awake in a total crisis, asking myself just what the hell I thought I was doing getting another puppy. Bo was a total nightmare at this age and continues to be a large pain. Last night Luke was very sleepy and wanted a place to snuggle, so I picked him up and he just fell asleep on his back snuggled in my arms. Totally justified the purchase. He and Bo are starting to play together now, which is hilarious. He goes up to Bo and starts gnawing on one of his hind legs or hanging off of his fur by his teeth. Bo lifts the abused foot up as high as he can and puts up with it all very patiently. Finally Bo gets to a point where he had it, and roofs at Luke smushes him to the ground with his front legs.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
How to Tape (or Brace) Puppy Ears
Our new corgi puppy, Luke, has one ear with a crease in it. His ears are not up yet, so this one flops back a bit, rather than over the front. To correct this, the breeder's vet recommended that we use Breathe-Right (TM) strips. I tried this, but one good shake of his head sent the strips flying. I have modified this method and it seems to be working really well. Luke is almost 7 weeks old. This method may not work as well with an older puppy or one with ears that have thicker skin or really dense, heavy fur. I used a generic drugstore brand of the nose strips and the thin tape that you use to attach gauze to a wound. Don't use the heavy, super-sticky stuff. This will weight the ear down too much, causing it to sag down, and will pull off fur more when the tape is removed. Pull one nose strip off and place it over another so that you have a single strip of double thickness. Trim the strips down so that they fit inside the ear as pictured above, but don't go down into the ear canal and irritate the ear. Place the strip INSIDE the ear. Pull of two strips of tape that are about 4 inches long. Wrap them around the ear, front and back taking care not to bend or distort the ear, and to secure the nose-strip. Leave the ear braces in place for a week, but replace them if the ears appear to be set oddly or the tape becomes tattered or is falling off excessively. If the ears are still not corrected inside a week, contact your vet, groomer, or breeder for some help. The puppy will be irritated with the tape initially, so distract him with some play time or a good chew toy. Luke got used to them in about a half hour. Happy taping.
Edited to add: Because the floppy ear was not standing up enough, I used a couple of inches of tape to attach it front and back to the other ear. I left about 2.5 inches of space between the two ears. This forces both ears to stand up a bit more. After just one day, both ears are now consistently up. This has not corrected the crease however.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Luke
Meet Luke. He is our brand new Pembroke corgi puppy. We got him this Saturday from a breeder in Fair Oaks. He is one of a litter of five puppies (one female and four males). Because we are so unoriginal, we once again kept the name that the breeder had given our puppy. Bo was also named by the breeder, but now we have our own little Dukes of Hazzard!
We originally thought we'd go with a female, but female corgis tend to be the alpha dogs, with males being more laid back. This was certainly the case with this litter. Luke's loan sister, Leia (yes they were all named for Star Wars characters) was a little pistol. We didn't think Bo and Kasey would deal with that well, so instead we picked the quietest pup in the group.
Bo has taken this pup in stride quite well, but Kasey is totally miserable. Poor cat spends all day on my bed in the back of the house. She comes out to eat, and if she happens to encounter the little guy her eyes get as big as saucers and she growls and hisses at him. Bo has been around other dogs so little, his only problem with the pup is interpreting puppy play signals. When Luke paw slaps and yaps at him he jumps like he's been stung. When he tries to get playful with Luke he yaps and bounces so fiercely that he sends the poor baby yelping and scooting for cover in terror.
He is a total handful when he is awake, so thankfully he sleeps something like 20 hours a day. I've been getting up once a night to take him out for a pee which I don't mind. The only problem is, it takes me at least an hour to get back to sleep. Then I have to get up early to make sure he's gotten out to pee again and have something to eat. Three days after getting him and I'm already staggering around in a stupor, hair unwashed and laundry undone, like a new mom. It's all worth it though!
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Circular
Garrett's new favorite word: circular. It's amazing how many times he can make that word come up in a sentence.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Thank Jesus for Cheese
The following is Garrett's list of items he is thankful for:
chickens (I mean, who ISN'T grateful for chickens for gosh sakes.)
Texas (Because Sandy Cheeks from Spongebob Squarepants is from Texas. Duh!)
Jesus (This despite that fact that we, as a family, are totally atheist.)
science (Can I hear a Hallelujah on that one!!!????)
cows (Apparently he feels very blessed for barnyard animals this season. Surprisingly though, the turkey did not make the list.)
trees
family (awwww)
Canada (wtf????)
Kailey (his best buddy)
Alan (his other best buddy)
and last but not least......
cheese.
chickens (I mean, who ISN'T grateful for chickens for gosh sakes.)
Texas (Because Sandy Cheeks from Spongebob Squarepants is from Texas. Duh!)
Jesus (This despite that fact that we, as a family, are totally atheist.)
science (Can I hear a Hallelujah on that one!!!????)
cows (Apparently he feels very blessed for barnyard animals this season. Surprisingly though, the turkey did not make the list.)
trees
family (awwww)
Canada (wtf????)
Kailey (his best buddy)
Alan (his other best buddy)
and last but not least......
cheese.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Dream Dinners
My friend Meredith and I tried Dream Dinners today. After eating the food for dinner tonight I thought a little feedback was merited. The whole experience was well organized. You set up an appointment time and order and prepay for all your meals ahead of time, and are given the option of ordering 3 or 6 serving portions. I would prefer that they did a four or five serving option, because three servings was not enough, even for my family of four pretty small eaters, and six would be too much. Also, you really only get your meat course and maybe a rice side. Not a whole lot of vegetarian choices.
Preparation is easy. You walk in and they give you a print out of all the stuff you ordered. All the ingredients are laid out with a station for each different dish they offer that month. Everything is pre-chopped and measuring is easy. Each meal takes five to ten minutes to prepare, and they provide you with Ziploc bags to hold and separate ingredients and preprinted labels to tell you what the meal is and how to cook it. The place was a little crowded and chaotic, and despite stern warnings to NOT brings your kids, some guy had his two rowdy toddlers running around with the staff pretty much forced to babysit them. Not cool in my opinion. After you are finished all your prep, they load everything up on a cart and wheel it out to your car for you. The staff was friendly and helpful. Oh, and very perky.
They provide you with a little checklist of all the stuff you ordered. They also provide you with side order suggestions and the general cooking method and prep time needed to cook the stuff. Don't be like me and forget to leave time for the thawing step. The food was very tasty. We had southwestern grilled chicken, which I served with my own Mexican rice and salad. We also had peach cobbler which was TASTY!
Overall, I was impressed. I won't make a weekly or even monthly ritual of this because a) I like to cook, b) I already have most of these ingredients on hand, c) it didn't really save me ALL that much time, d) it was a little on the spendy side. I do think it would be really fun to go back and do a private party there with a bunch of friends and a bottle of wine.
Preparation is easy. You walk in and they give you a print out of all the stuff you ordered. All the ingredients are laid out with a station for each different dish they offer that month. Everything is pre-chopped and measuring is easy. Each meal takes five to ten minutes to prepare, and they provide you with Ziploc bags to hold and separate ingredients and preprinted labels to tell you what the meal is and how to cook it. The place was a little crowded and chaotic, and despite stern warnings to NOT brings your kids, some guy had his two rowdy toddlers running around with the staff pretty much forced to babysit them. Not cool in my opinion. After you are finished all your prep, they load everything up on a cart and wheel it out to your car for you. The staff was friendly and helpful. Oh, and very perky.
They provide you with a little checklist of all the stuff you ordered. They also provide you with side order suggestions and the general cooking method and prep time needed to cook the stuff. Don't be like me and forget to leave time for the thawing step. The food was very tasty. We had southwestern grilled chicken, which I served with my own Mexican rice and salad. We also had peach cobbler which was TASTY!
Overall, I was impressed. I won't make a weekly or even monthly ritual of this because a) I like to cook, b) I already have most of these ingredients on hand, c) it didn't really save me ALL that much time, d) it was a little on the spendy side. I do think it would be really fun to go back and do a private party there with a bunch of friends and a bottle of wine.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Lyrics to Indian Thriller English Translation
Credit for these lyrics goes to Buffalax.
Link to the video here.
Because you know you want to be able to sing along while you're practicing all those hot Bollywood pelvic thrusts and head twitches:
Link to the video here.
Because you know you want to be able to sing along while you're practicing all those hot Bollywood pelvic thrusts and head twitches:
I think I’m the evil of the people…
(Praise the glory of the evil!)
GIRLY MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
Girly Man!
Girly man, man, man, man, man!
Gosh, my old calculator ain’t got no bow!
Nipply man I met, he ate my motorboat!
Calm down and park that comfy shin guard armor!
Welcome the dude who ain’t the buyer of mugs.
Girly Man!
Girly man, man, man, man, man!
RRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPYOURMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Woot, I’m Coming!
Mutton goes YAY!
Cook the chicano’s day!
Mucho Caliente!
I’ll eat wasabe on my dude!
All my body just got ruled!
Kinda like a fish on road!
One more body for your car!
OOO! OOO! Papa’s Restaurant.
OOOOOOOOOOO You’ll be pumping Ovaltine
or Salty Shanty’s One Shot Tea!
Roll, jam, belching, raving son!
Mork, and bull, and mumued star!
Kill her! Kill her! Kill her! Killer! Killer! Killer!
Girly Man!
Girly man, man, man, man, man!
Kill her! Kill her! Kill her! Killer! Killer! Killer!
(please don’t buy the bald seal!)
Move then Connie!
Let me go yay!
Cause it’s a yardless day!
Conga line too, Good Day!
Salad is a cargo you could do!
Chet’s my buddy, Chester Rowe!
Called him at the coaster room!
Smashing all the people up!
It’s the child no parka rule!
OOOOOOO laddie, ready, bite your knee!
OOOOOOO conk a Collie, Conquer he!
Deal them. Peel them. People look shocked!
Move, too, then you got private shower!
Kill her! Kill her! Kill her! Killer! Killer! Killer!
Girly Man!
Girly man, man, man, man, man!
Gosh, my old calculator ain’t got no bow!
Nipply man I met, he ate my motorboat!
Calm down and park that comfy shin guard armor!
Welcome the dude who ain’t the buyer of mugs.
Girly Man!
Girly man, man, man, man, man!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Beyonce
Me, looking at People Magazine and Weston looking over my shoulder.
Weston: I think Beyonce is ugly.
Me: Do you, really?
Weston: ..... (laughs) no.
Weston: I think Beyonce is ugly.
Me: Do you, really?
Weston: ..... (laughs) no.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Update to Round Table Debacle
When complaining about a business, I feel it's only fair to also acknowlege when they have fixed the problem. We received an apologetic letter in the mail from the manager of Round Table with a coupon for $20. We ordered pizza from them tonight and the customer service was much improved. Thanks Round Table, we are no longer mad!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Round Table: How'd You Like to Hold 'Til HELL FREEZES OVER!!
What better forum than my blog to pass on to the world how Round Table Pizza on Branham Avenue in San Jose treats their customers? Tonight I was stuck on hold with Christmas music blaring in my ear for 13 solid minutes. Finally I hung up and called back. Here's what happend:
Phone:Ring, ring
Round Table Employee: Welcometoroundtablepizzacanyouhold(Click)
Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Phone: Slam!
Me: Crap. I'm never ordering from that place again.
Will you?
Phone:Ring, ring
Round Table Employee: Welcometoroundtablepizzacanyouhold(Click)
Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Phone: Slam!
Me: Crap. I'm never ordering from that place again.
Will you?
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
The Old Grovel and Shiver Trick
We have a sweet dog. He's very nice, but as I have mentioned before, he's not the sharpest tack in the bulletin board. He can't be trusted in the house for long periods of time because he has never learned to scratch at the door when he has to pee. When I work at home, he normally stays in all day, and I have to periodically remember to remind him to go out and pee. He is, on occasion, very brilliant.
Today, for example. I left the house at 6:30 am, and Steve got the boys off to school, putting the dog out for the day as he was leaving. Strangly enough, however, when I got home, the dog was in. I immediately put him out, thinking his bladder must be stretched to bursting point, then headed off to empty out my own. I intended to call Steve once I had a chance to gather a few items from my car, so I could ask him how the dog happened to be in. We're having a cold snap, but Bo has a dog house outside. Besides, we JUST had the carpets cleaned. Walking past the sliding glass door, I happed to catch site of this miserable, shivering creature:
Then it all became clear. Bertha, my cleaning lady, had been at the house earlier, and seeing the pathetic display above, let the poor worthless creature in. Sucker! I'd think he was seriously freezing, if I hadn't seen him do the same shiver in 95 degree weather. As I said, moments of brilliance!
Today, for example. I left the house at 6:30 am, and Steve got the boys off to school, putting the dog out for the day as he was leaving. Strangly enough, however, when I got home, the dog was in. I immediately put him out, thinking his bladder must be stretched to bursting point, then headed off to empty out my own. I intended to call Steve once I had a chance to gather a few items from my car, so I could ask him how the dog happened to be in. We're having a cold snap, but Bo has a dog house outside. Besides, we JUST had the carpets cleaned. Walking past the sliding glass door, I happed to catch site of this miserable, shivering creature:
Then it all became clear. Bertha, my cleaning lady, had been at the house earlier, and seeing the pathetic display above, let the poor worthless creature in. Sucker! I'd think he was seriously freezing, if I hadn't seen him do the same shiver in 95 degree weather. As I said, moments of brilliance!
Monday, July 17, 2006
On a more serious note......
I’ve been thinking about the two miscarriages I suffered quite a bit lately after reading this post, and because three of my friends are early on in their pregnancies right now. After Weston was born I suffered two miscarriages. In both cases, I was about 8 weeks along.
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